Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a carpet and tile stripping machine. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved machine of the type having a motorized blade which oscillates back and forth. Because of the improvements which make up the present invention, the blade moves straight back and forth with respect to the housing of the machine and the blade has no side to side component during operation.
While motorized machines have been used in the past to strip tile and carpet, such machines have been ineffective to positively clean the floor of material bonded thereto. For example, U.S. Patent No. 4,009,908 describes a device having a cutting blade driven through an oscillating member so that the blade pivots about a shaft in axial alignment with the travel of stripper. While this structure provides a relatively wide range of pivoting of the blade about a center point, the shear action is not uniform because of the lack of movement at the center of the blade. Similarly, U.S. Patent No. 2,874,946 describes a floor covering stripper utilizing a pure eccentric action to drive a cutting blade in an oscillating manner. However, the journalling of the oscillating cutting blade and the degree of eccentricity of the drive to create the oscillation creates certain disadvantages. If eccentricity is increased to increase the path of blade movement, the vibration is increased and a turning movement results due to the action of centrifugal force on the machine which results in difficulty in operating the machine and the possibility of damage to the machine. Further, if the oscillating part is not journalled, the machine is subject to extreme wear
Still another carpet and tile stripper having an oscillating blade is disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,162,809 dated July 31, 1979 to Anderson, et al. This patent discloses mounting the stripping blade at an angle to the support frame opposite to the direction of rotation of the drive motor to offset the effect of centrifugal force on the frame and blade mounting assembly. This results in ease of operation of the machine and reduces vibration of the machine. The cutting or stripping blade is angled so as to bare against the floor with the blade traveling through an orbital path which is substantially a horizontal plane. While many users have found the tool disclosed in U.S. Patent 4,162,809 to be highly effective in removing carpet and tile, it does suffer from several disadvantages because the blade not only moves back and forth but also side to side as a result of the design of the eccentric mechanism used to orbital and oscillating movement.